Top Of The Food Chain
by KayCay
Summary: When you see the virus heading for you, your instinct is to run away. But when you are the virus, you discover people just like you. And some do the opposite. One-shot. Image by KARUN09 at deviantart.


_**Oh, this is new. Enjoy reading! :)**_

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**Top Of the Food Chain**

Everyone's got the grown instinct; you see the BLACKLIGHT Virus heading straight your way, concrete spitting out behind him as he runs at inhuman speeds with claws for his hands. Nobody expects a normal human being to marvel at him, the abilities he's unleashed upon himself, _no._ _They expect you to run._ Because when you judge your move wrong at that second, you're already biomass. Some don't even expect it; just a flash of white and another life, lifetime of memories and form has been taken.

Dr. Alexander Mercer was the reason for this, not ZEUS, not the virus that _acts_ as Mercer. About two years ago, he'd infected the whole population of Manhattan with the BLACKLIGHT in about three weeks. _Why?_ A para-military organisation called BLACKWATCH were getting suspicious about his actions and were to kill him. But Alex, being a borderline sociopath, fled with insurance. Insurance being a vial of the deadly virus. So two agents cornered him at Penn Station, just about to take a one-way train but before he could stop him and due to his rage and insanity, he threw it on the floor and it spread stealthily throughout the station without anybody knowing. Predictably, his life was cut short when the agents vandalised with chest with a spray of bullets and he landed upon the virus. It wasn't long until BLACKWATCH knew he was more than just a corpse. They tested the virus on animals and saw their intelligence heighten but for dear Alex... He got more than that. _Now?_ _Now,_ he's able to reach speeds faster than cars, muster impossible strength and shift his hands to deadly weaponry. Waking up in a morgue with no recollection of his past whatsoever, he had to start by actually_ leaving_ the damn place.

Alex knew jumping over a least a 20 foot fence, landing on both feet and feeling no pain wasn't a normal thing. He knew being able to dodge a rocket, catch a taxi with one hand and throw it back at a gunship wasn't a normal thing either. He knew being able to run up buildings, throw ventilation units at more gunships and drop from a skyscraper without suffering from broken bones was some _crazy shit._ It was _unbelievable._ He knew something was wrong with him but the BLACKLIGHT Virus knew better. He wouldn't call it a gift, more of a curse. A handy one, too.

He's met people along this very long road; first person was his sister, Dana Athena Mercer. Dear woman was about to get killed it if wasn't for him; BLACKWATCH tropper impaled in the chest with a fist _holy-shit._ He remembered coming into contact with BLOODTOX. That thing was deadly and Alex knew it. First time he inhaled it was when he had to attend that conference meeting to discover more information but had to leave early as the toxin was diffused in the air. But after repetitive exposure, he became immune. Well, _thanks for trying,_ I guess...

Now, look where he is, top of the food chain. The very top. Everyone was like ants, ready to run or get squashed. Every single person in Manhattan feared him; whenever he'd be running and leaping over cars, they'll always be that _one scream_ and that's the signal for everyone to run like complete maniacs. If someone falls, _don't you dare help them up._ Every man for himself.

The virus quietened down until Alex came back less than a year later, walked right into Penn Station and manifested the virus again, making it more lethal than before. Instead of the types of Hunters, there's Brawlers, Juggernauts and 60 foot Goliaths; all three he made. One day, he decided to infect a certain Marine; Sargent James Heller. The apparent reason? He wanted an ally to help him rule in the New World.

Alex Mercer stood, his hooded figure on top of City Hall with infected birds circling the red sky. He monitored the Walkers walking like the undead; arms outstretched but slightly bent, bits of skin on the verge of dropping off, head tilted to the side. But he saw something, someone staring right back at him. Two... No, _three_ people staring right back at him and he crossed his arms. All three had green glowing eyes and brown hair; from the people he consumed, some being doctors or whatever, he figured out they were triplets. Something was off about them and his eyebrow twitched.

_They_ were infected. And they found the man they were looking for. Their hands turned into a blur of claws, dual-blades and tendrils-Alex has never seen that one before. Guessing a new ability. The first one pointed his blade at Alex and said under all that atmospheric noise "Alex Mercer, you're the reason for this."

"It wasn't me," he spoke softly, not breaking into a shout. "It was Alex Mercer."

"You are Alex Mercer," the second one said, her tendrils just waiting to be used.

"No, I'm the BLACKLIGHT Virus."

"You're _playing_ as Alex Mercer, are you not?" The third said.

"Yes, but we all know I didn't do it."

"We were never meant to be like this-infected with the Mercer virus." Alex smiled. _The Mercer Virus._ That's what they call it now. Lazy bastards can't say the BLACKLIGHT Virus. _BLACK._ _LIGHT._ Then a thought, a small one, sizzled with life in his mind and his mouth opened "If you're infected with my virus, I control you." His left hand rose from his pocket, fingers curling into a fist and red smoke accumulated off his jacket and it wasn't long before he was joined with his Brawler Pack. One walked up beside him and he rested a palm on its oily, red skin and the other three growled in patience, tongues lapping aimlessly in between their sharp teeth. "Be the distraction _or get distracted."_ He signalled and the Brawlers jumped high of City Hall, feet hitting the groung with a meaty smack. The triplets jumped off and Alex watched as they battled, grinning devilishly when the girl pulled a Brawler apart using her tendrils. "So that's what they do," he spoke to himself, looking down at his arms to witness the change of his disguise. He flexed his claws, greeting them warmly before a spike launched his skywards and he pressed his body on the air, gliding to the fight. When he was above it all, he carried the weight to his elbow and he rocketed down and the three was sent backwards, not able to flip out early. One hit a car, literally denting it, another was thrown into a shop window and the last rolled on the concrete, coughing and wheezing about the pain.

He called off the Brawler Pack and they exploded behind him, sticking into the closest surface and hacking bystanders to hanging body parts. He calmly walked to the first triplet; he cupped the bottom of the car and lifted it lightly, flinging it over his head and past some buildings. The girl gasped, pushing at the concrete but Alex stepped closer, tilting his head. _"Please..."_ she begged, her leg attempting to regenerate itself. "Please... Don't kill me."

"If you're infected with my virus,_ I_ control_ you._ And since you failed to understand that, you're not worthy of my time." He picked her up by her head and as her feet weren't touching the floor, he squeezed, feeling her blood drool on his claws and his body took her living matter in an instant. He grunted; she wasn't useful information. Hearing a moan, his head snapped to the right and he stepped to the shattered window, hopping inside and flicking the switch. There was a trail in the ground and he followed it, pushing the shelves and groceries from his path annd he smiled, finding his prey. "I dare you to say something now... Michael."

"You didn't?" He cried out, arms shifting to the Whipfist and it zoomed to Alex, who only just sliced it off, not really caring. "You're next, buddy." Four thick ropes extended out of his bach, plunging into the almost-dead Michael and he gave out his last cry before becoming a set of fresh memories and a new disguise. He gasped, looked back and ran outside to the last triplet, latching his claws around his throat and pinning him on the wall. "You're skilled, Max. But you're inexperienced." Ears picked up rotary blades and the sound of launched rockets. He sprinted up the building with a cursing yet weak Max, dodging the ammunition BLACKWATH troopers were aiming at him. When he reached the top, he said "Ready to become my Bio Bomb?"

Without letting him answer, his hand dug into Max's torso, overloading it with cells and threads coiled around his body. Alex looked down, judged the trajectory and dashed it at the APC, hearing the yells of the officers just before the last triplet detonated. He looked up at the gunship, ready to fire at the virus and his eyes shone under his hood. He flexed his fingers again, claws rippling like magic and he bolted and leapt. Being able to destroy a couple of gunships, APCs and destroy a whole crowd of troopers... He sighed as he hacked and slashed at his enemies.

_This_ is what it feels like to be on top of the food chain. _Unbeatable._

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**_Hopefully, you enjoyed my first Prototype short. I tried to adapt to Alex's character and it was a bit hard, to be honest. Give me some feedback and my writing skills goes up my 1+. If you seen this author before, don't worry. I'm still writing my other story so everyone take in a deep breath._**

**_Thank you as always._**


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